Galbijjim, (braised short ribs)

Published : 2013-01-18 19:12
Updated : 2013-01-18 19:12

Galbijjim (Korean Bapsang)

Galbijjim is typically served on traditional holidays and special occasions. In contrast to the braising method typical of Western cooking, Koreans do not sear the ribs before braising them. The ribs are first parboiled in water with aromatic vegetables and then braised in a sweet and savory braising liquid. Parboiling is a technique used to remove excess fat and blood from the ribs. I boil the ribs in a small amount of water and use the resulting stock in the braising liquid. Chestnuts, dates, pine nuts and gingko nuts are customary garnishes that make this dish look very elegant, but the ribs will still be delicious without them. These succulent ribs, in a rich sauce, will be perfect for any of your special occasions! Then again, why wait for a special occasion to make this tasty comfort food?

3-4 servings
Ingredients:
● 1.5 kilograms meaty beef short ribs

● 1/2 small onion

● 3-4 thin ginger slices

● 5 plump garlic cloves

● 3 white parts of scallions

Braising liquid:
● 1/2 cup soy sauce

● 3 tablespoons sugar (2 for less sweet ribs)

● 2 tablespoons honey

● 1/4 cup rice wine

● 2 tablespoons of sesame oil

● 1/2 Korean pear, grated (about 1/2 cup)

● 1/2 small onion grated

● 1 tablespoon minced garlic

● 1 teaspoon grated (or juiced) ginger

● 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Vegetables:

● 300 grams (10 ounces) Korean radish, cut into large chunks

● 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and quartered

● 2 carrots, cut into large chunks

Optional garnish:
● 6-8 peeled fresh chestnuts

● 6-8 dried Korean dates/jujube

● 10-12 gingko nuts (or 1 tablespoon pine nuts)

Trim off any excess fat. Rinse the ribs, and let them sit in cold water for about 30 minutes to draw out excess blood. Drain. In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to the boil. Add the ribs and the next 4 ingredients (onion, ginger, garlic and scallions). Bring it to a gentle boil, uncovered. Skim off the scum on the top. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the ribs, reserving the stock. Strain the stock and skim off the fat. (Refrigerating the stock will help the fat solidify for easier removal. If you have room in the freezer, this process will be faster.)

Mix together all the braising liquid ingredients. Return the ribs to the pot. Pour the braising liquid over the meat. Set it aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the stock to the marinated ribs. Cover and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the vegetables, leaving out the optional garnish ingredients. Continue to simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Stir in the optional garnish ingredients. Return to simmer, uncovered this time, for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the sauce is thicker and the meat is tender but not falling off the bone.

Tips:
At this time, adjust the heat level and cooking time, depending on how tender you want your ribs to be and how much sauce you like to have.

Use medium-low heat and additional time for more tender meat with more sauce.

Likewise, you can increase the heat to medium to reduce the sauce faster. Also, leaving the pot uncovered during the last 10-20 minutes gives the ribs a nice sheen.

Kimchi mandu (Korean dumplings)

Published : 2013-01-04 19:45
Updated : 2013-01-05 11:34

Kimchi mandu (Korean Bapsang)

The Korea Herald is starting a new series, Korean Home Cooking, in which Ro Hyo-sun, author of the Korean Bapsang blog, explains how to make quick Korean comfort foods. The recipes are designed for people who are not familiar with Korean cooking and ingredients. ― Ed.

Kimchi mandu is a variation of Korean dumplings made with kimchi as the main ingredient.

The key to making good kimchi mandu is to use fully fermented kimchi for the extra kick that this mandu is known for. Kimchi mandu is especially good for making soup, manduguk (dumpling soup) or tteok-manduguk (a variation of rice cake soup, tteokguk, with dumplings), which is a must-eat New Year’s dish. With its pungent flavor and crunchy texture, the kimchi version adds a nice contrast to the mildly flavored broth and soft rice cake slices. For this recipe, I steamed the dumplings, but you can cook them your favorite way.

Ingredients:

● 25-30 dumpling wrappers (slightly thick)

Filling:
● 1 cup (packed) finely chopped kimchi

● 170 g (6 ounces) tofu

● 230 g (8 ounces) sukju namul (mung bean sprouts)

● 1/2 medium onion

● 3 scallions

● 110 g (4 ounces) ground pork (and/or beef)

● 1 tbs minced garlic

● 1 tsp finely grated ginger (or juiced)

● 2 tsp sesame oil

● 2 tsp soy sauce

● 1/2 egg (use the other half to seal the wrappers)

● Salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp)

● Pinch of pepper

Finely chop the kimchi and squeeze out as much liquid as possible by hand. Squeeze out water from the tofu. Using a cheesecloth will make the squeezing easier. Or, you can put the tofu under a heavy plate or a cutting board to press out water first and then squeeze by hand. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water, drain, chop and squeeze out water. Finely chop the onion and squeeze out water. Finely chop the scallions.

The squeezed ingredients should be fairly dry and crumbly. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well by hand.

Place one heaping teaspoon to a tablespoon of the filling on a wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water or egg wash and seal tightly (pushing the air out with your fingers) into a half-moon shape. (Stop here if you want half-moon shaped dumplings.) Then, bring the two ends together, wet the overlapping side, and press tightly together to create a round shape. Repeat this process until all the filling/wrappers are used.

Kimchi mandu can be steamed for about 8 minutes in a steamer (longer if frozen). Make sure to line the steamer with a cheesecloth or paper towel to prevent mandu from sticking.

Tips for freezing:
Freeze the dumplings on a tray with no pieces touching each other for about an hour, and then store them in a freezer bag. Otherwise, the skins will get soggy from the moisture in the filling and stick together in the freezing process.

Dipping Sauce:
● 1 tablespoon soy sauce

● 1 teaspoon vinegar

● 1 tablespoon water

● 1/2 teaspoon sugar

● Pinch of black pepper

● Pinch of gochugaru (red pepper flakes)

Combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Serve the mandu with the dipping sauce.